Low IQ people don't all vote Labor: York

A Liberal delegate has told the party's federal council that how-to-vote pamphlets should continue to be distributed at polling booths for people with low IQ's, as "they don't all vote Labor".

Arguing against a motion to stop the distribution of how-to-vote material at electoral booths, Sophie York said it was important to keep the papers with photographs "for elderly people, for people with low IQ, they don't all vote Labor".

Outside the meeting in Sydney on Friday night, Ms York stood by her comments, saying some people in the federal council meeting "would assume that special needs people would naturally gravitate towards Labor and I know that that's not true".

She said she had just been giving examples of people who might need how-to-vote material and was not making a joke at the expense of people with low IQ.

"I was talking about the different groups that might need a piece of paper on the day so they could make an educated voting decision," she said.

"We assume that everyone is interested in politics. A lot of people have no interest. They don't even know who their local member is."

Ms York, a former Navy legal officer, is also spokeswoman for anti-gay marriage group Marriage Alliance, according to her website.